CHICAGO-Two types of synthetic leg-vessel prostheses have finished an extensive trial on an equal footing.
In a five-year prospective randomized study of 244 patients at eight centers, above-the-knee grafts of Dacron and Gore-Tex seemed equally effective for infrainguinal occlusive disease.
At three years 77% of the patients survived and the grafts didn’t differ significantly in primary or secondary patency, Mass General’s Dr. William Abbott told the Society for Vascular Surgery meeting here.
Patients received a knitted Dacron polyester graft impregnated with collagen (Meadox Hemashield), which had a 62% mean primary patency, or a thin-walled reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex) graft, which had a 57% mean primary patency.
The patency rate was lower with small grafts and in patients under 65 who smoked.
